Fastening device



Aug. 5, 1952 G. H. KRl-:ss E-r AL 2,605,871-

l FASTENING DEVICE Filed March s. 1949 www Patented Aug. 5, 1952 l ASTENING DEVICE Y al, and Albert W. Kapfer, Endicott, N.' Y., assignors to International lBusiness Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a'corporation of New York Y Appucatio March s, 1949, serial No. 79,324

George' H. Kress, vest This invention'relatesf to lfastening devices and latches. More specifically, it relates to a fastening device for securing a decorative molding or beading toa panel forming a portionof a cover foramachine.

It is .an object of this invention to provide a fastening device for a molding .or the like, which fastening device is hidden from VView by the molding. r l

It is a further object of the invention toprovide a fastening device whichfacilitates rapid installation and removal of the molding.

A still further object is to provide a fastening device which will permit the molding to be attached or removed without sliding, so that panels bounded by re-entrant angles may receive a mold- A nal specific object of this invention is to provide a fastening device that is easily and economically manufactured by mass production methods.

Other objects of the invention will be pointed out in the following description and claim and illustrated in the accompanying drawing, which discloses, by way of illustration, the principle of the invention and the best mode, which has been contemplated, of applying that principle.

In the drawing:

Fig. l is a plan view of the molding installed on the panel.

Fig. 2 is a section taken along the line 2 2 showing the fastening device in the unlatched position.

Fig. 3 is a section taken along the line 3-3 showing the fastening device in the latched position.

In Figs. l, 2 and 3 a representative length of a molding I is shown aixed to a panel 20 which in the present embodiment forms a portion of a cover for a business machine. The fastening means 30, two of which are shown, are spaced at intervals beneath the molding in order to secure it to the panel.

The molding i0 in the present embodiment serves a purely decorative function and as such has an external conguration in harmony with the design of the cover of the machine. As can be seen in the drawing, the molding is provided with the longitudinally disposed dovetailed groove Il opening into the face I3, which face abuts the panel 20. A further groove I2 is provided so as to reduce the Contact area between the molding and the panel in order to lessen the effect of surface irregularities in the panel upon the tightness of fit between the molding and the 1 Claim. (Cl. 189-88) panel. The resulting cross section of the molding lends itself to manufacture by extrusion methods.

' The fastening means 30 consists of the threaded shank 3| having the transverse slot 32 and the hexahedral head 33. This head is bounded by plane surfaces 34, 35, 35, 31, 38 and 39 having the geometric shapes and interrelationships here- Vinafter to -be defined.

- The surfaces 34 and 35 are rhomboids parallel to one another and normal to the axis of stud 3i at the intersections of the diagonals of the rhomboids. The lesser diagonals of these rhomboidal surfaces, and consequently of all intermediate rhomboidal sections, are slightly greater than the perpendicular distances between the lesser sides of the rhomboids, these perpendiculars lying within the boundaries of the rhomboids. The surfaces 36 and 31 are trapezoids parallel to one another and perpendicular to the surfaces 34 and 35. The nal two surfaces 38 and 39 are also rhomboids, the planes of which intersect the planes of the surfaces 34 and 35 with substantially the same angles of Obliquity as those subtended by the sides and the bottom of the groove Il in molding I0.

The fastening means 30 pass through holes 2i in panel 2U and are fastened by means of nuts 43 and spring washers lli. These remain assembled on the panel.

In installing the molding upon the panel the latch members are first aligned with the longer sides of the hexahedral heads 33 parallel to the groove H as shown at 2-2 in Fig. l and also in Fig. 2. The molding I3 is then held abutting the panel 20 with the groove H enclosing the heads of the fastening devices. The latch members are then rotated by means of a screwdriver in slot 32 so that they occupy the position shown at 3-3 of Fig. 1 and also in Fig. 3, thus securing the molding. At this time the fastening devices may be locked by lightening the nuts 40.

The latching action of the members 30 in securing the molding may not be readily apparent from the foregoing discussion. Therefore, the coaction of the surfaces of the latch head 33 and the surfaces of the groove Il will now be discussed. It will be noted that latch head 33 in the unlatched position, as shown in Fig. 2, abuts the panel 26, and that in the latched position (Fig. 3) the head 33 is held away from the panel by groove Il. During the rotation of the latch head 33 from its unlatched to its latched position, the oblique surfaces 38 and 39 engage the complementary surfaces of the groove Il to cam the head into the groove. Since the lesser diagtom of the groove under the action of the springy washer l i.

Thus, the head Y33 is resiliently" lsides of the rhomboids, and by two surfaces latched in a neutral position by the diagonale of j the head and may be locked by tightening the nut Ml.

While there have been. shownV and describedAV and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modication, it will be understood that various omissions*l Vand substitutions and changes in the form and details ofthe device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from Athe spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claim.

What is claimed is:

The combination of a member detachably afiixed to a panel with a face thereof abutting the panel, said member having a dovetailed groove open to said face; and a latch in cooperative en- 4 gagement with the oblique surfaces of a portion of said groove, said latch comprising a threaded stud and a hexahedral head bounded by two parallel rhomboidal surfaces perpendicular to the axis of the stud, the lesser diagonals of the rhombods being slightly greater than the perpendicularrdistances between the 'lesser slides thereof, by

two trapezoidal surfaces'perpendicular'to and intersecting the rhombodal surfaces at the greater V oblique to the rhomboidal surfaces, the angles of Obliquity o f which are substantially equal to those of said vdovetailed groove; whereby When the latch is rotated so as, ,to align the longer sides of the rhomboids .withr the dovetailed groove of said member the member may be removed from abutting the panel. y

GEORGE H. KRESS. ALBERT W. KAPFER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record inthe le of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name l Date 1,308,276 Connell July 1, 1919 2,278,627v Wernig Apr. 7, 1942 Hasenburger et al. Sept. 7, 1943 

